022310, 6AM, Day 4: Our watch alarms sound @6. Daybreak is nearing. Time to break camp, fill our bottles, have a Via, and plot our course. With plenty of sunlight, we can see how to avoid the thickest patches and travel the safest route down the mountain. The downside? The slopes are steep, ground is still covered in 3’ of snow, fallen trees are everywhere. For icing, we get coyote, bobcat, and mountain lion tracks on both sides of the creek. Will? Will who? We had to get home. Sorry, Will. Enjoy the Yeti.
No lunch stops, only thoughts of Big Macs dancing in our heads.
CHRIS: I’m gonna tear into that dollar menu.
COOP: I’m gonna grab a couple of Big Macs.
On either side of us, the slopes climb. We’re in a good spot near the creek. The occasional precipice, be it waterfall or just a straight drop-off, causes us to switch sides. Bobcat tracks provide reason to tread carefully. Larger cat tracks give cause for concern. We may be able to take a bobcat, but a mountain lion is something different. Lo siento, cats, buffet is closed. People are off the menu.
Yesterday we had to deal with steep slopes and gigantic obstacles. Today, it’s the melting snow. Making tracks is much harder than using ‘em. Coop and I share point. Sometimes the snow holds our weight, other times we are in it up to our thighs. Step after step our shins absorb the impact of the trail’s icy crust. Then, out of nowhere…
COOP: Car!
CHRIS: Road!
The two of us laugh in disbelief. After 3.5 hours of shin-numbing, toe-jamming, lip-cracking hiking we’re done. Neither of us have ever smiled a bigger smile. Well, there was that one time. But apart from that, this was the happiest. Well, OK, not the happiest. Top ten. Definitely the top ten. We are definitely happy. Our trip is over and we’re going home.
Coop grabs the map to see where we are while I step out onto the road.
CHRIS: Dude, the car is right there.
COOP: Sweet, what does mine say?
CHRIS: Dude!
Walking to the car was a great feeling. As we unpack, an SNR truck approaches and I flag it down.
SNR: Well Hallelujah! Sure am glad to see you boys.
BOTH: Nice to be seen sir.
SNR notifies Forest Service, the fire department, and the dozen or so SNR volunteers still out looking for us. Minutes later the park ranger pulls up followed by a couple of volunteers. We debrief. Ranger is concerned he had been too harsh when he told us help wasn’t coming. Coop and I are worried we’d get a harsh lecture. Both are pleasantly surprised. When the ranger said we had to go it alone, it was disheartening, yet motivating. Knowing you are responsible for your own safe return is huge. And, as the ranger explained, we weren’t really on our own. 20+ SNR volunteers searched for us ’til 1AM Mon/Tuesday morning. And on the morning of our return a handful had gotten up early to search again. Although we never crossed paths, their selfless willingness to assist was an amazing display of humanity. As for the harsh lecture…we didn’t get one. The conversation we had was more like one shared with old timers at a greasy spoon. Gracias a todos y hasta luego amigos.
One more thing, in case you were wondering, we got our Big Macs.
View the map of the area.
Have any questions? Leave me a comment below or send me an e-mail at TiTy@y2kemo.com.
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